Taken and Misused.

[Elisabeth’s Point Of View]

“Merci Tabytha, you’re a life saver” I said, following her to the front door of my apartment. After we had finished shopping we had come back here and she had helped me arranged my hair into a suitable style for tonight, and she helped me do my makeup. It was obvious she had a talent for anything artistic. My hair was split into two sections; the pieces that framed my face were pulled back and sprayed with a small amount of hairspray to create a small bump. The rest of my hair Tabytha had curled and let fall down my back. It was simple yet very elegant, it was perfect.

When we took a break to make something to eat her mother had called her to come help set up for her father’s birthday tomorrow. From the way she spoke of her parents they seemed to be very much in love both with each other and Tabytha. It was stupid of me to be jealous but I was. Neither my father or step-mother had called me in the past week; as far as I knew, they called my dance instructor more than they called me.

“Call me later, I have to know how it went” she said, grinning ear to ear. She tugged her hat on her head and gave me a hug before leaving. I was still smiling after I closed the door. Life in New York was finally getting better, I thought, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

For the seventh time tonight I felt like a little girl about to go on her first date, a feeling I had to get over before Vaughn came. I did not want him thinking I had never been on a date before, which was slightly true. When was he getting here again? I glanced at my clock and nearly had a heart attack, it was 6:30. In thirty minutes Vaughn would be coming to pick me up and I did not even have my dress on. I muttered a small prayer under my breath as I hurried to my room and grabbed the golden gown spread across my bed. In ten minutes I had the gown on and was slipping my earrings in. I sat in front of my vanity for a moment and observed my reflection. Usually when I was with Vaughn it was right after dance practice, when I was sweaty and tired, or he would just show up, leaving me no time to get ready. So tonight I was determined to look my best for him. I grabbed a small, silver clutch and slipped my mascara and lipstick into it. Most women only carried a clutch for their make up or money. I’ve happened to seen people carry around empty clutches at my mother’s fashion shows. As I hurried into the kitchen to grab my shoes from where I had left them in their box on the kitchen counter, I noticed I had ten minutes to be ready. Hopefully Vaughn had gotten caught up in traffic, the thought made a very unladylike snort leave my lips. He would probably be the cause of the traffic.

As if my thoughts had jinxed me, a knock sounded on my door. I stood stone still for a moment, one foot in one of my heels.

“You there Princess?” came Vaughn’s voice, muffled through the wooden door.

“Um, oui, I mean yes” I called, tying my other heel on while keeping my balance. I caught myself on the couch as I stumbled, in a hurry to grab my clutch from the coffee table where I had left it. I stopped before opening the door, took a deep breath in and let it out. “Alright...” I breathed, opening the door. The person I was faced with looked nothing like the Vaughn I saw most of the time. His hair was actually styled, part of it slicked to the side in a very formal fashion. The tuxedo he wore fit him perfectly and the fabric almost appeared to be velvet or silk but the quality was too unique to place. His bow-tie laid undone around his neck, the one thing out of place in his appearance. My eyes were caught by his when his thumb and pointer finger gently lifted my chin to meet his gaze. He was smiling, the expressions sinking into his eyes, warming them. The sudden intensity caught me off guard.

“You look beautiful Elisabeth” he said, his voice soft, intimate. His words brought a blush to my cheeks, brighter then the dusting of rouge over my cheek bones. He usually only called me Princess, never have I loved my name more. His thumb swept across my cheek like a feather a sudden contemplative look on his face and for an insane moment I thought he was going to kiss me, instead he pulled away and returned his hand to his side. He almost looked upset.

“Thank you” I said after stumbling over my words for a moment. I gestured at his outfit, “you look quite alright yourself” I added, my gaze paused on his bow tie. "Don't you know how to tie one?"

"Not really" Vaughn said, actually looking slightly embarrassed. I smiled lightly and stepped closer to him and took each end of the slip of silk and twisted the two pieces together to form a perfect little bow. When I stepped back I saw that Vaughn was grinning down at me, a quirk of his lips he always flashed me.

"Guess there is a reason to keep you around" he said in a teasing manner. Vaughn jutted his arm out for me, I slipped my hand onto his forearm and my smile widened. “What a gentleman” I observed.

“I do my best” he said, winking at me as he led me towards the elevators. “So, how was your morning?” he asked as we stepped into the elevator.

“Me and a friend went shopping” I answered, “nothing you’d be interested in of course” I continued in a smug tone.

Vaughn faked a yawn, “I’m sorry, I lost you after ‘shopping’.” When I flashed him a frown he grinned and his gaze drifted down the length of my dress. “I’m kidding, did you buy that dress today?” he asked, obviously trying to prompt me to continue my story.

I gave in, “Yes, there is this small vintage shop at the end of 5th avenue. It is absolutely wonderful” I said with a smile back across my lips. “You know, New York is turning out to be a lot better than what I thought it would be, I might actually start to like it here” I said, glancing from the buttons that displayed each floor’s number to Vaughn’s face. I caught a thread of guilt fly through his eyes, a frown tipped the corners of his lips down for a moment and he looked away from me.

“I wasn’t enough to make New York wonderful?” he joked, but I could still see that small hint of guilt.

Internally I laughed at myself; I was being too over analytical. I was nervous about tonight so I was pulling apart every single one of Vaughn’s actions. If I did not stop he would probably think something was mentally wrong with me. I replaced my smile as the elevator doors opened and Vaughn led me out to the entrance of the building. The manager here was at the front desk, his gaze glued to me but he made no move to come over. Ever since I had told him off he kept his distance. I was in no hurry to apologize. Outside the winter chill bit into my arms but Vaughn’s classic mustang sat right in front of the building’s doors. Vaughn led me to the passenger side door and opened it with a small bow, “here you are my lady.”

I curtsied back to him and slipped into the seat and tucked my dress into the car before he closed the door. Inside it was a warm bubble of air. I watched Vaughn make his way around to the driver’s side; he tipped the valet man before sliding into his seat next to me. “It’s a long ride, about forty minutes” Vaughn said as he pulled out into the street. He turned on a sleek looking GPS system that was on his dash.

“That’s new” I commented, nodding at the GPS when he glanced over at me.

“A… friend loaned it to me” he answered, “it’s a ritzy place, so in other words, I’ve never been there” he said with a shrug.

“The one that got you the invite?” I asked, still taking in his outfit. It must have cost around seven thousand dollars, I felt slightly special that he had forgone his leather jacket and replaced it with this sophisticated style. I looked up at him to notice he had been glancing at me the whole time, a smug grin on his lips.

“That’s the one” he replied, still grinning. Obviously because he thought I was 'checking him out'.

As we left the city my gaze switched from Vaughn to the trees flying by outside the windows. The radio was playing softly, I recognized the music as one of my favorite bands. “Beck and Bat for Lashes?” I questioned. Vaughn looked at me in confusion for a moment before I gestured at the radio. Comprehension dawned on his features and he smiled.

“Yeah, Nathaniel got me started with them. This song is ‘Let’s get Lost’ I think” he reached over and turned the music up a bit.

“How is Nathaniel doing?” I asked.

Vaughn looked slightly ashamed for a moment, his eyes dropping slightly. Then he cleared his throat and answered without looking at me. “He’s fine, he.. went to visit his family in France.”

I could see talking about Nathaniel made him slightly sad and I assumed it was because he missed his best friend. From what I saw at the races Vaughn took me to, he and Nathaniel were practically brothers. “You must miss him-“

“Can we drop the subject?” Vaughn snapped, his jaw set in a rigid line. I looked away from him; suddenly the atmosphere in the car was tense. I folded my hands on my lap, playing with the silk of my skirt.

Vaughn sighed, a deep breath in and a deep breath out. I was at a loss for words; Vaughn had never taken that tone with me. He was always joking around or smug but he was never angry with me. After a few minutes of complete silence, besides the radio continuing to play, Vaughn sighed again. Suddenly he slowed down and pulled off to the side of the road. Trees were lined up on either side of us, according to the GPS we were fifteen minutes away. I glanced at Vaughn, curious as to why he had just pulled over and stopped out of nowhere. One car passed us and then it was dark again, the only light coming from the gauges on the dash of his car.

My eyebrows pulled together in confusion, “Vaughn?”

“I’m sorry” he muttered, taking a hand off the steering wheel and bring his fingers up to his hair line as if he wanted to tug them through his hair but then he obviously remembered the gel slicking his hair back. He settled for rubbing his temple, his silver eyes closed in what looked like frustration. “I’m just, frustrated I guess” he continued, opening his eyes and locking them with mine. “Not with you though” he added, I bit my lip before breaking his gaze.

“Why are you frustrated then?” I asked, wondering if he would open up to me or think of me as nosey.

Vaughn seemed to sink into his thoughts for a moment before answering, “I’m not sure if I’m going to see him or the others anytime soon, and I’m letting down someone who I’ve now noticed is extremely important to me” he said, sounding like he was making a confession. His eyes were locked onto mine with a certain intensity in them. Part of me wanted to ask who the ‘someone’ was, and another part of me was too nervous about what the answer would be. Just as I was about to answer he began speaking again, “we’re going to be late” he said. The engine came to life as he put the mustang back into drive and pulled back onto the road. He flashed me a smile, “I’m sorry for snapping at you, let’s just… forget about that, alright?”

“Yeah, move on from the past” I said, going with his effort to lighten the mood in the car.

“Exactly” he affirmed, grinning at me. But it was not the grin he always gave me; something like guilt was in his eyes every time he looked at me. I wanted so much to ask him what was really wrong but I knew he would not tell me everything, and I knew I would not like hearing his half truths so I dropped it and referred back to the thoughts I had before he came to my door tonight.

This evening would be perfect.